Sidebars Archives - Page 75 of 194

June 23, 2026

Above: A small topwater plug like this Spook Junior is a perfect tool for drawing strikes for hybrid and spotted bass feeding at the surface on small baitfish.

Opportunities on top

Conventional fishing wisdom says that topwater baits should be retired shortly after sunrise, not to be picked up again until shortly before sunset. […]

Big expanses of lily pads offer bass a great amount of shad.

Amphibian modifications

David A. Brown

Frog baits account for some of the most-exciting strikes you’ll see in the pads. Most work well right out of the package, but a few tweaks can help sell the ruse. […]

Ocean Crest is one of two piers remaining on Oak Island; Long Beach Pier was closed in 2006.

Oak Island’s pier history

Craig Holt

Oak Island was once home to three piers: Yaupon, Ocean Crest and Long Beach. […]

A community live-bait tank is an unusual feature on Ocean Crest Pier.

OCP has survived coastal troubles through the years

Craig Holt

Ocean Crest Pier was one of North Carolina’s last-built ocean fishing platforms, with construction finished in 1968 by Warren Calloway, a World War II veteran. […]

North Carolina and South Carolina manage flounder with different creel limits and minimum sizes.

Many bordering states have some sort of reciprocal agreement for fishermen plying border waters, but North Carolina and South Carolina do not, possibly because of the significant differences in the way several species are regulated. […]

A Fluke-type bait can be rigged as a single lure or a double-rig when targeting bass that are feeding on blueback herring.

Blueback blues

David A. Brown

Blueback herring, those high-strung gypsies known for their notoriously unpredictable ways, can be the boon or the bane of Lake Murray fishing. […]

Most old drum caught under popping corks wind up with the hook in the corner of their mouths, not deep in their throats.

Popping cork rig is better conservation measure

Jeff Burleson

Over the past 20 years, the old drum fishery in the Pamlico Sound has grown to epic proportions. […]

Replacing the rear treble on a popping bait with a hook-and-feather can add to its attraction for bass.

Accessorize for appeal

David A. Brown

Topwater baits inherently rely on impersonating a wounded, disoriented or otherwise vulnerable baitfish for their bass appeal. […]

Finding schools of baitfish, like these under attack from predators, is the key to keeping up with the movements of old drum.

Stay on the fish

Jeff Burleson

The Pamlico Sound is the largest saltwater lagoon along the eastern seaboard and the second-largest in the United States. […]

Fishermen can keep only two blue catfish longer than 32 inches — like this one caught by guide Allen Spence — per day on the Santee Cooper lakes and river system.

New catfish regs are in effect

Terry Madewell

The S.C. General Assembly passed a bill last year that took effect on April 1, changing how blue catfish in the Santee Cooper lakes are managed. […]